Christmas 2007 Gift Ideas for Cheese Lovers

We all remember the commercial where the family awakes to find the tree surrounded by glamorous, glitzy, large, dreamy gifts, and the innocent little girl claims that she left Santa Cheese in lieu of cookies. Hence, “Behold, the power of Cheese” became quite familiar to us. What makes us remember that? Ah, yes, we remember it so fondly because when ever we heard the phrase, or watched the commercials, we would nod affirmatively and agree. We all love cheese! Cheese is one of those foods that has so many varieties, and we tend to enjoy almost every type! And it goes with nearly ever other type of food! Why not give it as a gift, then? If you know a cheese connoisseur, here are a few great gifts that they aren’t used to seeing under the tree.

~A Fondue pot. Not only is this an essential for your cheddar enthusiast, this gift is perfect in so many ways. You can melt any kinds of cheese in it, and you can dip anything into the yummy cheese! These pots usually come with a handful of dipping forks, and the forks are different colors, or shapes so that you don’t use the same dipper as your neighbor has already slobbered all over. There are several different recipes for different dips (you can even buy a recipe book!). And you can dip to your hearts content the greatest foods! Pepperoni, breads, sausages, potato chips, tortilla chips, french fries, vegetables, you name it. And you can use it during parties, get togethers, dinners, and the fella’s will love it when they come over for the ball games!

~A cheese and sausage basket from Hickory Farms. This is a classic, classy gift, people have been hip to this for ages! It can come from anywhere (not just Hickory Farms), and it usually has inside of the package some mustards and or crackers. This is a perfect gift to take along to the home of whomever is hosting the family get together. With all of the running around, and stress at Christmas, give them a gift they can enjoy and relax with, something to nibble on without having to cook. And that, my friend, is a present in itself.

~Package of cheese dips. There are a variety of new cheese dips that are growing popular recently, you can purchase packets to make your own dips, or buy those that are already made. There is a bacon-cheddar dip that is so delicious your guests will want to eat it with their bare hands! There is also cream cheese based dips, as well as a garden style vegetable dip. These would be perfect for that cheese loving Hostess that is so hard to buy for.

~Cheese of the month club. This is perfect for that lover of cheese that wants to try it all. This features a different cheese from a different country each month. If you can’t travel the globe, why not bring the world to you? This also offers an introduction to which wines to pair with the feature of the month.

~The All American Cheese and Wine Book by Laura Werlin. This book reads like a who’s who in wines, and cheese’s, and then which go together best. It offers tips on which to buy, and also charts to make it easy on the wine and cheese novice. It also offers fifty-five recipes from hors d’oeuvres, and pizzas, to desserts. It offers a complete list of wine and cheese makers, and where to find them, and how to order from them, as well.

~Cheesecake. Do I really need to elaborate on this one? Everybody loves cheesecake, and receiving a couple purchased from a snazzy bakery will put a glow to anyone’s face this winter.

Pick up a couple of bottles of wine to go with your gift basket, and add a movie, and a few wine flutes. Your recipient can make an entire evening out of your thoughtfulness. Throw in a gift card for a local shop that specializes in cheeses, or a gift card from a fondue restaurant. And don’t forget to stick around for the tasting yourself after all that shopping!